JVC Adixxion, The Worst-Named Rugged Camcorder Ever

Pretty much the only segment of the camcorder market that hasn’t been destroyed by either cellphones or video-shooting SLRs is the rugged sports-cam market, if only because nobody wants to strap their iPhone or Canon 5D MkIII to their head and ski down a mountain.

So it’s no surprise that JVC’s latest offering is – you guessed it – a rugged sports cam, complete with various attachment to mount it on helmets, bikes and even goggles.

It’s called – somewhat embarrassingly – the Adixxion, spelled in all caps, and it is indeed rugged. You can freeze it and use it in a dust storm and it won’t care. You can dive to five meters (16.4 feet) underwater, drop it up to two meters (6.5 feet) without breaking it, and all the while shoot HD video or 5MP stills.

An LED on the side is there for playback, but the real killer feature is Wi-Fi.

Using the Wi-Fi radio you can monitor the video using your phone, which is very handy to check framing when the camera is stuck up on your head. Which makes me wonder if Wi-Fi works underwater?

The $350 Adixxion doesn’t skimp on the accessories either: It comes with a “flexible” mount and a goggle mount in the box, and if you need anything more specialized you can buy it seperately.